State DOH releases comprehensive maps on EMS-attended auto crash

The Makakilo and Kapolei area had the most number of emergency medical services-attended motor vehicle crashes on Oahu involving cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, mopeds, pedestrians and bicyclists between 2007 and 2011. That's according to maps released by the Hawaii State Department of Health.

More than 14,000 crashes over five years from 2007 through 2011 are mapped or geo-coded using Neighborhood Boards as geographical references.

The Makakilo and Kapolei area had a total of 759 crashes during those years.

"With these new maps, the public now has access to valuable information about their communities that can empower efforts to make changes to reduce and prevent motor vehicle injuries," said Health Director Loretta Fuddy. "The data has already assisted community partners such as the Hawaii Bicycling League and AARP to justify safety initiatives and policy changes benefitting all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles."

The maps also have practical applications toward planning communities that integrate all aspects of transportation, such as the “Complete Streets” concept that Gov. Neil Abercrombie mentioned in his recent State of the State address.

Tom Dinell, a professor with the University of Hawaii Department of Urban and Regional Planning, stated, "There is no way to plan for ‘Complete Streets’ without having good fatality and crash data by location. The Department of Health provides the critical data that planners and community advocates need."

It is recommended to view the PDF by downloading it. To download it, right-click the link above and "Save Target As" or "Save Link As."

This is a companion document to the recently released “Injuries in Hawaii 2007-2011” data book and the “Hawaii Injury Prevention Plan 2012-2017." The prevention plan includes detailed statistics and key recommendations about impaired driving, pedestrian and bicycle safety; restraint use; motorcycle and moped safety; and other issues.

The map book was developed by the DOH Injury Prevention and Control Section using available Geographic Information Systems data from traffic-related crashes derived from the Hawaii Emergency Medical Services Information Systems. The purpose of the document is to improve understanding of the frequency and location of the various types of traffic crashes.

The map book, injury data book, and prevention plan together provide critical Hawaii data for researchers, community leaders, advocates, and anyone interested in reducing injuries from automobile-related and other preventable accidents.

Among the facts, the data reveals two-thirds or 67 percent of all fatally injured car occupants in the state are killed in alcohol-related crashes. While there have been overall declines in injuries and deaths to car occupants over the past decade, moped and motorcycle injuries and fatalities have risen. Key recommendations to address these issues include incorporating alcohol screening and brief substance abuse intervention programs in trauma centers, and increasing the use of helmets, safety education, and licensing.

The data also shows that occupants not wearing a seat belt incur higher medical costs and are more than three times more likely to be killed compared to restrained occupants. The data book provides comparisons on injury severity, hospitalizations, medical costs and associated injuries with those wearing a helmet versus not wearing one, and those who were wearing a seat belt versus those who were unrestrained at the time of a crash.